Tag: Super Air Wipe

Late last year I received a call from a customer that was using EXAIR Super Air Knives to create an air curtain that protected the lens on their Robotic Welders from weld spatter. The EXAIR Super Air Knife accomplished this by virtue of its design to deliver a uniform sheet of laminar air flow across its entire length. While this greatly improved the life of the welder lens and reduced maintenance time, further improvements were needed.

The event that triggered this was the challenge they received from their customer (one of the big 3 automobile manufacturers) to increase their output of welded seat frames by 50%. While the EXAIR Super Air Knives greatly reduced lens maintenance the consensus was further improvements would facilitate the goal of increasing output 50% .

Using the Super Air Knife to protect the welding lens

This started the discussion on the possibility of using the EXAIR Super Air Wipe, even though it is primarily used for drying/cleaning of long continuous flow products its airflow pattern (see illustration below) was able to direct the weld splatter down and away from the lens. This ultimately proved to be more effective at protecting the lens than the laminar air curtain provided by the EXAIR Super Air Knife.

Air Wipe – How it work

The installation of the EXAIR Super Air Wipes started on 12/16/2017 and was completed on 12/23/2017. The original production rate was 480 pair of SUV rear seat frames per day running 3 shifts 24/6.

Robotic Welder fitted with EXAIR Super Air Wipe

After the Installation of the EXAIRSuper Air Wipes, they had improved the production rate to 750 pair/day running 3 shifts 24/5 days per week. That equates to a productivity increase of 156%, far exceeding the goal of 50%!

Before using the EXAIRSuper Air Wipe their maintenance department would clean the Cover Slide on the Laser Welding Head – 3 times per day at approximately 20 min x 3x daily x 6 days / week 6 hours / week. “With the EXAIRSuper Air Wipe we found that we can weld for 10 days before cleaning the Cover Slide” says the customer.

Each Cover Slide costs $195 and those were being replaced weekly, it was a pleasant surprise to find out that only a small amount of dust collects on the Cover Slide now, which is cleaned off in less than a minute

In 10 weeks of Operation they have not replaced a single Slide since the EXAIRSuper Air Wipe has nearly eliminated pitting from the weld spatter.

Also, Cleaning of the Slides is now performed on Saturday’s at the leisure of the maintenance team and not under the strain of production time. The Labor Rate for Maintenance is $75/hour x 6 hours/week = $450 X 50 weeks/year $22,500 plus the cost of the replacement windows at $195 each x 25 weeks = $4,875 savings per year. Total savings after implementing the EXAIR Super Air Wipe = $27,375 per welding machine!

With the maintenance & replacement cost savings alone it is an easy calculation to make on the purchase of the EXAIRSuper Air Wipe’s. That figure is not counting the productivity increase of 156% which allowed them to meet their customers delivery schedule and reduce overtime!

If you would like to discuss increasing the efficiency of your compressed air usage, quieter compressed air products and/or any EXAIR product, I would enjoy hearing from you…give me a call.

EXAIR’s Air Wipes provide a 360° uniform, high velocity airflow that adheres to the outside surface of a round part, such as pipe, hose, cable, etc., as it passes through the throat or center of the device.

In this short video, we show how to change the shim inside of an Air Wipe, letting you achieve an increase or decrease in outlet flow and force while maintaining the same operating pressure.

If you have any questions, please contact an Application Engineer at 800-903-9247.

Several years prior we had a customer that was using a block-type Air Wipe from a competitor to remove water from an extrusion. These air wipes were built using materials similar to UHMW and the 2 halves were hinged with air holes drilled into it. They were using these block air wipes on several lines and decided to try an EXAIR Super Air Wipe after contacting our Application Engineers. The interesting point was that it required 5 block type air wipes to equal the efficiency of 1 EXAIRSuper Air Wipe.

Since one EXAIRSuper Air Wipe equaled the performance of 5 of the competitor’s products it consumed less air, was less expensive and produced less noise. Also in space sensitive applications the EXAIR Super Air Wipe is much thinner than the block type. To highlight this the Super Air Wipe is 1.13″ thick on all 11 models that range from 3/8″ to 11″ throat diameter.

Another clear advantage is performance. The block air wipe performance can only be changed by altering the inlet air pressure while the EXAIRSuper Air Wipe can also be changed by adjusting the inlet air pressure or changing the air gap of the Air Wipe. Simply by changing out an internal shim, the air gap will allow more or less volume of compressed air at a given pressure. By changing shims and adjusting pressure, EXAIR Super Air Wipes provide the flexibility which leads to a successful application across industry.

Compressed air flows through an inlet (1) of the Air Wipe into an annular chamber (2). It is then throttled through a small ring nozzle (3) at high velocity. This primary airstream adheres to the Coanda profile (4), which directs it down the angled surface of the Air Wipe. A low pressure area is created at the center (5) inducing a high volume flow of surrounding air into the primary airstream. As the airflow leaves the Air Wipe, it creates a conical 360° ring of air that attaches itself to the surface of the material running through it (6), uniformly wiping the entire surface with the high velocity airflow.

EXAIR’s GEN4 Super Ion Air Wipe provides a uniform 360° ionized airstream that is simple to clamp around a part for reducing static electricity and cleaning contaminants. It is great for use on pipe, cable, extruded shapes, hose, wire and much more. We offer the GEN4 Super Ion Air Wipe in either 2” or 4” inner diameter, it is powered by compressed air and an external power supply. The GEN4 Super Ion Air Wipe generates both positive and negative ions that are transmitted the emitter points located on the i.d. of the wipe. Since static charges can be either negative or positive it is easy to eliminate both states of charge due to the mixed polarity of ions being generated. The power supplies are available with either 2 or 4 outlets (can power up to 2 or 4 GEN4 Static Eliminators simultaneously) and are UL recognized, CE and RoHS compliant. The power supplies also have a selectable input voltage for either 115 or 230VAC.

Another great feature of the GEN4 Super Ion Air Wipe is the split collar design that utilizes a clamp and hinge making it easy to clamp around the surface of the material moving through it eliminating the need for time consuming “threading”.

How does the Super Ion Air Wipe work? The Super Ion Air Wipe envelopes the part passing through it with a stream of compressed air to strip contaminants and bathes it with ions to diminish any static charge. The airflow follows the surface of the material passing through it and can be effective up to 15′ (4.6m) away from where the Super Ion Air Wipe is located. The optional pressure regulator allows for fine adjustments of the air volume and velocity and the optional shim set allows for large air volume and velocity adjustments.

Not long ago while checking out of a motel my laptop bag that was attached to the handle on my suitcase fell forward and the impact shattered the screen on the laptop. Upon turning the computer on I realized that a new screen was in order.

I waited until I arrived at home and found what I thought to be the correct monitor and quickly ordered it. It arrived two days later and I painstakingly took the laptop apart and exposed the mounting frame. The removal of the broken screen and the installation of the new was not too difficult but the cable connector was less than robust and was very tight. Carefully I worked it back and forth and it came free.

Installation and reassembly went quickly and then I powered up the machine. I was only greeted with a series of very loud and annoying beeps. At that point I shut it down and called the company I purchased the screen from and described the issue. They determined that the resolution of the screen was incorrect for my laptop and that I needed a different model. They said I could return the incorrect one and upon inspection receive a credit less the return shipping. At that point I ordered the correct screen and packaged up the wrong one and dropped it off at the parcel delivery service.

The new model arrived and it installed easily and worked perfectly. I waited patiently and never did see a refund so I called the company and they said that it was an oversight on their end and that it would be corrected within 48 hours. Sure enough they issued the credit and money was credited back to my account with one exception, the 40% restocking fee!

I can tell you that EXAIR is not that way! If you order the wrong item or are not satisfied for any reason and the item was purchased within the last 30 days we will facilitate the return and ZERO restocking fee. There are a multitude of reasons our customers would want to take advantage of our 30 day guarantee and we make it a simple transaction if you need to take advantage of it too. Testing is one reason a customer would use this 30 days, other customers may have ordered incorrectly or released product inadvertently, they may have wanted a small sample for a meeting or demonstration at a customers location.

If you’ve ever used an air gun to blow something off, you’re familiar with the cleaning ability of compressed air. If you can get the whole object blown off from where you’re standing, there really is no substitute…but what if you need to get to the other side…or sides?

Even if your product is not on fire, you probably wouldn’t want to “limbo” under it with an air gun…

This is where the EXAIR Super Air Wipe comes in…they allow you to blow a continuous, uniform 360° air stream, all around your product. Consider their benefits:

*Sizes: the Super Air Wipe’s compact ring design means it won’t take up a lot of room; you just need a few inches, in any direction, to install one. We stock them in eleven sizes, from 11″, all the way down to our brand-new 3/8″ diameter.

*Durability: All EXAIR Super Air Wipes are assembled with stainless steel shims and hardware. Models up to 4″ come with a rugged, stainless steel wire braided hose, connecting the two halves for compressed air supply.

The aluminum Super Air Wipe is available in 11 sizes; the stainless steel Super Air Wipe comes in 5 sizes…all from stock.

*Ease of installation: Smaller sizes can be supported by the compressed air supply line, if a pipe is used and threaded into the connector hose’s 1/4 NPT port. Larger sizes can likewise be adequately supported with pipe to both halves. All models have a bolt circle of 1/4″-20 tapped holes for more permanent and rigid mounting. The split ring design is another key feature:

Simply open the two halves, and clamp them around your product…no threading!

*Corrosion resistance: Depending on the environment in which the Super Air Wipe will be installed, we offer them with aluminum (3/8″ – 11″ sizes) or stainless steel (3/8″ – 4″ sizes) bodies.

*Temperature rating:Aluminum Super Air Wipes are good to 400°F (204°C) and stainless steel models are good to 800°F (427°C.)

*Range of operation: We install a 0.002″ thick shim in all stock Super Air Wipes; this is suitable for a wide range of typical industrial/commercial blow off applications…a Pressure Regulator can then be used to “dial in” the air flow precisely to meet specific needs. If a job calls for higher force & flow, additional 0.002″ shims can be installed. Shim Sets come with the Super Air Wipe Kits, or individual shims can be ordered separately.

*Performance: Before the Super Air Wipe, a ring of nozzles was commonly used. In fact, they still are, but we’re trying to fix that, at every opportunity we come across. Problem with those is, it’s hard to get an even air flow all around, which leads to inconsistent blow off. They can also be loud & inefficient, as we’ve found in numerous Efficiency Lab tests and Case Studies, like this one…

These wasteful and loud modular plastic tube blow offs……were replaced with EXAIR Super Air Wipes. 24 such replacements netted the customer an annual compressed air cost savings of over $13,000.00.

…and this one…

Implementing a Super Air Wipe salvaged a $30,000 job for this customer. Click on the picture to read all about it in our Case Study Library (registration required.)

Do you have a challenging blow off application that you need help with? Call us to find out how an EXAIR Super Air Wipe (or another one of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products) can be a simple, quick & easy solution.

EXAIR offers the Air Wipes in diameters from 3/8″ (10mm) to 11″ (279mm), all in stock! (Note – 3/8″ (10mm) size available in aluminum only)

As a final review, consult the table below for a comprehensive summary of the materials of construction for the EXAIR Stainless Steel and Aluminum Super Air Wipes and the Standard Air Wipe.

If you have questions about the Air Wipes, or would like to talk about any of the EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air® Products, feel free to contact EXAIR and myself or any of our Application Engineers can help you determine the best solution.